Sometimes, you've just gotta walk away
by meeph
Summary: The forming of MIST. Sort of an interlude between the two games. Chapter 7 is up, read and enjoy or review!
1. Default Chapter

_Author's note: I do not own Parasite Eve or Parasite Eve 2, not do I own any of the characters from either of the two games!_

Aya Brea stared blankly at the steering wheel of her car, not really seeing it. Thoughts whirled around in her head like leaves caught in a particularly strong wind. This was the second time that week in which she had spent hours in her car, keys in the ignition, ready to leave, but unable to make herself start the car.

_I hate this place_, she though, looking out the windshield at the skyline of Manhattan. The sun was setting behind the buildings, coloring the sky a myriad of oranges and purples. If she hadn't been so distraught, Aya would have found it beautiful.

It had been two months since the "Manhattan Incident" as it had been dubbed by all the authorities, and Aya found that even now she'd be woken from her sleep in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, visions of Eve floating around in her mind. She knew the nightmares shouldn't surprise her, as events in one's life, especially what she went through, don't disappear from the mind over night.

She laughed dryly to herself as she, once again pulled the key out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. She walked down the busy sidewalk for a ways, automatically keeping her head down, she didn't want to chance somebody recognizing her. Her boss, Captain Baker, had done his best to keep her picture out of the papers and evening news shows, and for that Aya was grateful to him. But as it was a reporter's duty to do anything for a story… somehow the papers and news stations had managed to get a picture of her and her face had been plastered all over Manhattan in one night.

Most people were surprised to find that the person who had single-handedly saved their city, was a young rookie cop, not to mention as Aya had heard one newscaster put it, 'a particularly attractive young blonde'. She wasn't worried about that too much, it was the people that were afraid she might attack them that she was afraid of. They'd taken to protesting her rights, of all things, and were constantly pushing for her to be locked away for forever. It was one of those people that she was afraid of running into on the street.

She kept her face hidden until she had entered her apartment building and was safely shut up in her own apartment. As she took off her leather jacket, the phone rang. The crossed the room and picked it up before the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Aya, its Wayne."

"Oh, what?" She said, in a slightly less than enthusiastic voice. Wayne wasn't exactly her best friend.

"Uhh, well, you know. Seein' as today was your day off, I was just callin' to see if, umm, maybe you'd want to get some dinner or something?"

Silence, Aya didn't really know what to say, she knew Wayne liked her, but he had always manifested his crush by calling her 'baby' or 'sweet bottom', to which she would normally respond 'prick' or 'asshole'. She was finding it hard to recall a time when Wayne had actually seriously asked her to do anything with him.

"Aya, you there?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'm here." She said quickly, still not sure how to respond. _Might as well go, its not like you've got anything better to do,_ she thought to herself. When are you off work?" She asked delicately, she didn't want him to get too excited. She almost kicked herself when she heard the sharp intake of breath from the other line.

"I'll be there in ten minutes!" He said happily. "Bye!"

"Bye." Aya responded, knowing she was going to regret this tomorrow morning when she got to the precinct.

Ten minutes never went by so fast, and before she knew it the buzzer on her door was going off like a fire alarm. Slowly she got up from the couch and pressed the talk button on the intercom.

"Wayne?"

"Yup!" Came the quick reply. Aya pushed the unlock button and slightly cracked her door. Within seconds Wayne was tapping on the frame and nudging the door open.

"Hey how ya been?" He asked excitedly as if he hadn't seen her in a week.

"I'm the same I was yesterday when you saw me at the station." Aya said slowly. "What about you?"

"Yeah I'm good. Let's go eat." As he said this, he grabbed Aya's jacket and held it open for her. She didn't move from the couch right away, not entirely sure if the mild mannered man in front of her was the Wayne she knew.

"Sure you're all right?" She asked tentatively. He gave her a sideways look, still holding out the jacket.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said with a smile. "com on let's hurry, we're gonna want to beat the dinner crowd!"

Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Aya pulled herself off the couch and allowed Wayne to help her into her jacket before setting off.

Fifteen minutes later found them sitting in a booth at the very back of a street corner diner. Aya stared into her coffee, not really knowing what to say, while Wayne swirled the ice around in his Pepsi.

"So…" Aya said, taking a step into the awkward silence. "What's good here?"

"Oh, um, well. I've not eaten here before." Wayne said, his cheeks going a little red. "I've always wanted to try it though! Everyone says its really good." His cheeks reddened even more.

Aya looked around the diner and couldn't find any reason why she would really want to eat here. But then again it was Wayne. As she was thinking this, Aya noticed the awkward silence had resumed its guard of their table. Taking a sip of her coffee, she studied Wayne while he was twisted in his seat, searching for a waitress.

"So how come you asked me to dinner?" She blurted out before she could stop herself. Wayne quickly turned back to face her, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Huh? Oh yeah, well I don't know, just thought it'd be nice you know?" At this his voice got quiet and he looked around the table before continuing. "I've noticed you've been kind of withdrawn lately, ever since…" He stopped and gave her and uneasy look. "Ever since Christmas. I figured dinner would be better than just spending the rest of the night alone, you know?" He said, looking at her again, this time though without any embarrassment.

"Yeah." Aya said, gazing into her empty coffee cup. She really didn't want to talk to Wayne about that stuff.

"Look Aya, I'm just worried about you that's all. And to tell you the truth, so is Daniel." He looked her in the eye. "I mean its not…" But he cut off abruptly as the waitress showed up to take their order.

As Wayne was ordering his food, Aya gazed around the diner and noticed a mand at the counter eyeing her. She quickly looked away but continued to watch him from the corner of her eye. He was tall and lanky looking with blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing dark sunglasses despite being inside. Aya thought this was weird but then remembered that she was in New York.

After dinner Wayne dropped her off at her apartment before heading back to his own place. After a few hours of watching TV, Aya was extremely bored. She stared at the clock above her TV and sighed. It was ten o'clock, she should really be in bed. She had to ba at the precinct by five tomorrow morning. With a great sigh she rolled off the couch and headed towards the bathroom, thoughts of a warm and relaxing shower crossing her mind.

But as she walked past the small kitchen table the buzzer on her door went off. Again she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and wondered who would show up after ten. _If its Wayne,_ she thought_, oh, he's never going to hear the end of it._

She pressed the com button on the key pad. "Who is it?"

"FBI." Came the brusque response. Aya's mind went blank. _Why would they be here? They finished their investigation two weeks ago!_ Regardless she buzzed them through, but kept her apartment door locked.

A few seconds later there was a firm knock at the door. She took a deep breath and stared through the peep hole. There was only one man in the hall that she could see. He was tall, African American, with a shaved head and goatee. He was wearing a tan trench coat and gray slacks.

Hold your badge up to the door." Aya said firmly. She wanted to make sure this guy really was with the FBI. He hesitated for a second and Aya found herself wishing she had her pistol at hand. Still watching through the peep hole, she tensed when he moved his hand to an inside pocket of his coat, but relaxed when he only produced his badge and held it up to the door. It looked alright, though she didn't really have a good idea of how she would have been able to tell a real FBI badge from a fake.

Hesitating slightly she turned the bolt lock on the door but kept the chain firmly in its place. Aya then cracked the door slightly, only enough to see the hall more clearly.

"Can I help you Sir?" She asked.

"Aya Brea?" His voice was different, she thought, from the guy who had rang the buzzer a few minutes ago.

"Yes?" She tried not to show any outward signs of panic, but she was really worried on the inside.

"I'm Agent Broderick with the FBI. Would you mind if I came in?"

Aya hesitated. If she refused to let him in it would look suspicious, but she didn't really want to let this man inside. She gave in, closing the door to slide the chain lock off, and re-opening it all the way to let him in.

After closing the door again, Aya turned to see Broderick looking around with interest at her small apartment. He moved over to the little table she had sitting next to a closet door in the corner of the living room. When he started picking pictures up off the table for a closer examination, Aya cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. He turned to regard with a clear calculating look, almost as if he had forgotten she was there and had just suddenly remembered.

"Ah, yes." He said slowly, his voice deep and slow, but intelligent. "As I said before, I'm Agent Rupert Broderick of the FBI. I'm here to offer you a job."

Aya did her best to hide her surprise. She had been expecting another grueling interrogation about everything she could remember about Eve and everything else that had happened this past Christmas. And although she'd given all the essential information to the FBI investigators, she had left out a lot of details. Especially the ones about Maya. Even though she had been careful, Aya knew that the FBI would eventually figure out she hadn't told them everything. But a job?

"What do you mean?" She replied tentatively.

"I mean a job, work for the FBI." She detected a hint of impatience in his voice and realized he must be nervous.

She didn't really know how to respond and found herself wishing that it had been Wayne at the door and not this man. Her mind was buzzing with suspicion and interest. She couldn't really say that she trusted the FBI or any other government affiliate, she was too afraid they might cart her away for research or whatever.

"Can't say I was expecting a job offer." She said with a weak smile that Broderick didn't' return, he continued to stare stoically back at her. She sighed and stared at the ceiling for a solution.

"Look, I don't know what position you're offering or what all this entails. You guys finished your investigation two weeks ago and I honestly don't know why you would be here." She looked at him imploringly and still received no response. He seemed to thinking about something, as if he was sizing her up or something. Starting to get flustered. Aya opened her mouth to continue when he held out his hand.

"Read it, and think about it, that's all." In his hand was a blank envelope. Aya stared at it complacently before taking it. Before she could pull it from his grasp though, "I'll be back tomorrow, then you can give us your answer."

Without another word, Rupert Broderick turned and walked out the door of her apartment. It took Aya a moment to realize that her mouth was hanging open, before she closed.

"Well that was weird." She muttered to herself, turning to look at the envelope she still clutched tightly in her hand. All thoughts of having to be at work before the sun came up vanished as she moved to the kitchen table to examine the contents of the envelope. Tearing through the seal, she pulled out several pieces of carefully folded paper and began to read:

_Federal Bureau of Investigation_

_Washington D.C._

_Ms. Brea we at the FBI have been presented with the unexpected circumstances with which you dealt with over these past Christmas holidays. Having been informed of your unique talents and the way in which you handled yourself in the field, my superiors have taken and interest in you and your abilities._

_Even as you read this letter, the creation of a new branch of the FBI is underway. This new division, M.I.S.T. (mitochondrion investigation and suppression team) will deal with the new threat of Neo-Mitochondrion creatures. As you know, the death of Eve did not wipe out all of the NMCs. The MIST agents that are already in the field have been tracking the creatures' movements westward across the continental U.S._

_Due to your unique abilities, I would like to offer you a 'hunter' position within the MIST agency. This position would put you in the field with other agents in situations not unlike the ones you must have experienced in Manhattan. In joining the MIST agency you would also become a full fledged Special Agent of the FBI._

_I would be greatly honored if you decide to join MIST and add your unique talents to this new department. Enclosed are several papers with information on NMC movement and estimated numbers. Please consider this offer._

_Federal Bureau of Investigation_

_Director of MIST_

_Hal Baldwin_

Aya re-read the letter several times hardly daring to believe that she was being offered a chance to work for the FBI. She then flipped through the rest of the sheets and saw detailed maps of the US and various sections of it.

"This is insane." She said to herself. She set the papers down and looked at the clock, it was now midnight. Aya groaned, she must have lost track of time. _Well, I guess I could just sleep on it,_ she thought.

She got up from the table and headed towards her bedroom, muttering under her breath for having stayed up so late.

_Well, there it is, the first chapter of my first PE fanfic. Hope I was able to keep all my facts straight. Please review if you get the chance. Ch. 2 is on the way!_


	2. Dreaming of Shadows

_Author's note: I do not own Parasite Eve or Parasite Eve 2, nort do I own any of the characters from either of the two games!_

_The sickly sweet stench of burnt hair and flesh permeated her senses, bringing back that all too familiar sense of unease and foreboding. She couldn't see anything, all was dark. Somewhere in the near distance she could hear the constant 'drip-drop-drip' of water or some other liquid._

_She moved forward into the unceasing shadows, hands outstretched blindly in front of her, longing for and fearing contact with anything in the darkness. Fumbling along for what seemed like an eternity, she suddenly became aware of another presence and the now, nearly overwhelming stink of charred remains, somewhere nearby._

_She began to stumble forward again, when she heard and felt the soft incessant blowing of a slight breeze. Something was moving in the shadows. Was it behind her or before her?_

_Panic began to settle in the pit of her stomach as she stared wildly around, hoping to discern anything through the veil of darkness. The she heard it, something was creeping towards her in the shadows. The panic inside her now exploded in a rush of adrenaline and she began to run, her legs carrying her forward with reckless abandon._

_She stumbled and fell hard onto her hands and knees, uttering a soft cry of dismay. Behind her she heard melodic laughter, coming from a voice she had come to hate and that had haunted her for the past two months._

_She quickly turned around, expecting to see Eve hovering over her, ready to strike. What she saw though, nearly made her scream. Aya Brea had come face to face with herself._

Aya rolled off her bed and hit the floor with a thud. She groaned softly and slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, massaging her hip where it had just made contact with the floor. Leaning her head against the side of the mattress, she tried to remember the details of the dream she had just experienced. She could remember darkness and being chased by…

Aya gasped as she suddenly recalled what she had seen. It hadn't been Eve chasing her, but herself. She stood up to sit down on top of her bed, still concentrating on the details of the dream. The phone rang, making her jump. Aya looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it read 6:30.

"Crap." She muttered. She should have been at the precinct over an hour and a half ago. Frustrated, she picked up the receiver of the phone (which was on its fifth ring.)

"Hello?"

"Morning Sunshine." Came the gruff reply. Aya grinned, it was only Daniel. "Where you been Aya? You were supposed to be here over an hour ago."

"I over slept. Guess I forgot to set my alarm last night." She said.

"Ha, right. Well accordin' to Wayne, you were out with him last night." Aya groaned at these words and could hear Daniels muffled laughter at the other end of the line.

"Well, I'm glad you can find amusement in my misery." She said, awarded with more laughter from Daniel's end.

"Misery right, you probably enjoyed girl." Aya snorted at this and Daniel chuckled some more.

"Whenever you feel like gettin' outta bed, you can drag your miserable self up here and we can get started on that double murder case that Baker's been houndin' us about for the past three days. And I can tell you now Rookie, Baker ain't to amused with you bein' late, so hurry it up!"

He sounded upset, but Aya knew better. Daniel's bark was worse than his bite, most of the time anyway.

"Yeah ok. Just do everyone a favor and keep your pants on alright?" He laughed again and Aya hung up. She stood up and stretched, her hip still sore, and made her way to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later found her ready to leave when she noticed the blank envelope, still sitting on her table from last night. Hesitating for only a moment, she picked it up and stuck it in her jacket pocket before heading out the door.

_Well, there's chapter two, yeah I know kinda short and probably a little slow, but I'm trying. So please read and review!_


	3. Surprises

_Author's note: I do not own Parasite Eve or Parasite Eve 2, nor do I own any of the characters from either of the two games!_

One of the things Aya hated most about Manhattan was its seemingly endless lines of traffic and the random traffic lights that deterred you at unsuspecting intersections. By the time she actually made it to the precinct she was over two hours late.

She walked into the back office and hurried over to her desk, hoping Daniel had already put the case files on it. She hadn't even crossed half the room when,

"Brea!" She stopped and turned to see Captain Baker, his head stuck outside his door with an annoyed expression on it. "I need you in my office now."

"Yes Sir." Aya said, resigning herself to a verbal beating for being so late.

Once in the office she closed the door and turned to see Baker sitting at his desk, puffing on a newly lit cigar. She looked around and was surprised to see Daniel standing by the window on the other side of the room.

"That's the third time this week, Brea." Aya started at Baker's voice and tore her gaze from Daniel to face the captain.

"Sorry Sir, what?" She asked, but knew what was coming.

"I said that's the third time this week you've been late Brea, not to mention the seventh time you've been late this month." He was giving her a piercing look. "Is there anything wrong that you can't make it in to work on time?" He asked.

"No, I've… I've just…" She started but was interrupted by Daniel.

"Aya you need a vacation." Daniel said firmly.

"No, I don't." She said bewildered. "Why do I need a vacation?"

"You're taking a month's vacation Brea. No questions asked." Said Baker.

"Sir," Aya said, her cheeks going a little red. "I can't afford a month's vacation."

"Don't worry about that, you'll be receiving full pay for the month."

"What is this all about?" She asked, but she thought she knew what was coming.

"Aya, for the past two months you've been, well, withdrawn. You didn't take any time off after… you know. You need a break."

"No, Daniel, I don't need a break. I'm fine. I … just need to sort some things out is all." As she said this she couldn't help but think about what Wayne had said the night before, how everyone was worried about her.

"Aya, consider yourself on paid leave for the rest of this month and through March. You're not goin' to argue about it. You understand?" Baker said firmly.

Aya nodded glumly and stared at the floor. She knew they were just worried about her, but to be honest, coming to work everyday had been the best way of keeping her mind off of what had happened. She turned to leave.

"Here Brea, take this." Baker held out a piece of paper. Aya took it. It was a pay check for her time off.

"Thanks." She said, and walked out of the office.

Aya was halfway down the hall when Daniel caught up with her.

"Aya," He said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna talk?" He asked looking her in the eye.

"No. Not really."

"Look Aya, pretending nothing happened isn't goin' to make things better." He said.

"I'm not pretending." Aya said. "What's wrong with me just trying to get on with my life? Why does everyone keep acting like I'm going to have some emotional break down or something? I'm fine!" She was starting to get upset.

"Stubborn." Daniel muttered.

"You're one to talk." Aya said with a small smile. Daniel chuckled softly.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked.

"No, I drove today."

"Right well, I'll see you later Aya. You go home and get some rest." He squeezed her shoulder then turned and made his way back down the hall.

Aya watched him until he disappeared around a corner. She went out to her car and sat in it for a few minutes, letting the engine warm up. She leaned her head back against the seat and stared at the ceiling. _Well, what are you going to do now Aya Brea?_ She thought to herself. She was now facing an entire month with absolutely nothing to do, not that she was complaining, it'd been quite awhile since she'd had time like this on her hands.

"Whatever." She muttered, putting her car into drive and pulling out into the heavy traffic she had been in only thirty minutes earlier.

It took her just as long to get to her apartment as it had that morning for her to reach the precinct. Aya heaved a heavy sigh as she entered her apartment building and went to over to check her mail. She fumbled with the key for a second before managing to open the mailbox. She retrieved its contents and turned to go upstairs, rifling through her bundle of mail.

She stopped suddenly, having found a small yellow card, wedged between the electric bill and a credit card bill. It was a kind of business card.

_Special Agent Rupert Broderick_

_Federal Bureau of Investigation_

Aya stared at the card for a second then flipped it over.

_Central Café 7:30 pm_

"Central Café? I'll have to look that one up." She muttered to herself, continuing up the stairs to her apartment.

Upon reaching her door, Aya took out her keys and unlocked it. She stepped inside where she then proceeded to drop her mail. The bills and various envelopes fluttered to the floor in a great mess, but that was nothing compared to the rest of her apartment. Someone had been in her apartment, not only that, but they had managed to completely… The only word that could come to Aya's mind at that moment was destroy.

Her couch looked as if it had been in a fight with a lawn mower. Cushions and their stuffing were strew across the floor, mixed with glass from broken picture frames that had sat on the table next to the closet. That particular closet was hanging wide open its contents, a few boxes and some coats, were thrown and torn haphazardly on the floor. The cabinets in her kitchen were all flung wide open and there were broken plates and glasses all over the linoleum floor.

She stepped cautiously over the broken glass and ceramic fragments and crept down the hall, stopping to see what shape the bathroom was in. Her mirror was cracked, her cabinets and their contents thrown to the floor in an unceremonious manner, the shower curtain had been pulled half off.

Aya grimaced and proceeded to her bedroom, she had to put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from getting sick. If she thought the rest of her apartment was bad, it was nothing compared to her bedroom. Her mattress had been gutted and ripped apart, her bedside table was now on the other side of the room, upside down and missing a leg. The window was shattered and there was glass everywhere. The contents of her dresser were all over the place, many of the clothing items having been ripped to shreds. Her closet was open and looked as if someone had set off a small bomb inside.

She didn't stare long though, Aya hurried back into the living and searched for her phone. She picked it up off the glass strewn floor and plugged it back into the phone jack, hoping it would still work. She put the receiver to her hear holding her breath for a dial tone and almost grinned at the sound.

She dialed Daniel's desk number, hoping he was there.

"Hello?" Came Daniel's gruff voice.

"Daniel, its Aya. Som…"

"Baker put it pretty plainly Aya, you're on vacation." He said tersely.

"No Daniel its not that! Someone has broken into my apartment and practically destroyed it. All my stuff has been thrown around and broken." She said it all quickly in case he tried to interrupt her again.

"What? Someone was in your apartment?"

"Yes! I think they might have been looking for something." She said starting to feel a little prickle of fear. Why would someone search her apartment, and in such an obvious and thorough manner.

"Stay there Aya, I'll be there in a few. Did you see or hear anyone?"

"No."

"Alright, don't go anywhere." He then hung up. Aya stared at the receiver as if expecting more then set it back down on the cradle.

Fifteen minutes later Daniel arrived and swore loudly at his first sight of Aya's demolished apartment.

"Who?" He asked, mouth still hanging open and eyes wide.

"No idea." Aya replied bitterly.

"Aya, what's this?" Daniel asked, he had bent over to grab something off the floor. It was Broderick's yellow card. "FBI?" Daniel frowned and flipped the card over. "You supposed to meet this guy somewhere?"

"That's … nothing. Here." She held out her hand for the card but Daniel only raised an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing?" He asked skeptically, flipping the card over again to look at the name.

"Yeah, its nothing. Just left over from their investigation two weeks ago. Guess I forgot to throw it away." She didn't know why she wasn't telling Daniel that she'd been offered a job for the FBI. She knew she could tell him, but it didn't seem right.

Daniel finally gave in and handed her the card which she then stuck in her back pocket where, she just realized, was the envelope she had received the night before. Daniel was still watching her closely as she turned to survey apartment again.

"I'm gonna have to file this aren't I?" She asked.

"Yeah, we can get a couple of the guys to investigate too. You'll have to file this under a breaking and entering charge though." Daniel said with a grimace.

Aya nodded and started towards the door, as she did though she felt some glass crunch under her shoe. Looking down, Aya saw that she had stepped on a picture of her and Maya when they were little. It was at that point she decided she was going to take the job Broderick had offered her. She had to get out of Manhattan.


	4. Lurking Shadows

_I do not own Parasite Eve 1 or 2, nor do I own any of the characters!_

Aya had left her apartment in disarray with Wayne and Nix poking around in what was left of the wreckage for clues for the identity of the saboteur. It was nearly seven in the evening and she had spent most of the afternoon gathering the items in her apartment that hadn't been destroyed, packing them away in boxes on the pretense of taking them to a storage garage or something.

In reality though, Aya was leaving Manhattan as soon as possible, and she hoped that Agent Broderick would be able to help her do that, as she walked in the front door of the Central Café. Looking around, she saw no sign of Broderick, realizing that she was thirty minutes early.

She took a seat at the back of the café, instinctively placing herself in a position where she could observe the rest of the restaurant practically unnoticed. After having drained two cups of coffee in twenty minutes, Aya noticed a man entering the café.

He looked slightly familiar with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, a pair of dark sunglasses perched precariously upon the bridge of his nose. She knew at once that she had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"Are you finished with that cup Miss?" The waiter had returned.

"Wha- Oh yeah. I'm done." She replied distractedly, still gazing at the bespectacled man across the room.

She watched as he took a seat at a two person table next to the front window. A moment later she remembered where she had seen him before. It had been the previous evening, at that diner in which she had eaten dinner with Wayne. _He was that guy who was eying me._ She thought wearily. Aya hardly noticed the tall dark man walking purposely across the room towards her until Rupert Broderick was standing next to her table.

"Good evening Miss. Brea." He said in that deep voice, extending his hand.

"Oh. Hi." She replied tearing her gaze away from the blonde man and shaking Broderick's hand.

"I take it you received my note?"

"Yeah." Aya said, wondering if he had any idea someone must have trashed her apartment around the same time he left her that note. "Listen," she said quietly. "If I were take this job, where would I be working at. There isn't an office in Manhattan is there?"

"No." He said, slightly taken aback by how quickly she had seized upon the subject. "We'll be opening a central office in Los Angeles here very soon. Right now we're operating out of D.C. at Bureau head quarters."

He gazed confusedly at the sudden relieved look on her face. "I take this sudden interest in location as a sign you want the position?"

"Yes – well, yeah. I- its just that…" Aya hesitated. She wasn't entirely sure she could trust this man yet, but she had to tell someone. "I got home from work this morning and when I entered my apartment, someone had been through it, searched it I guess. Anyway, everything inside is pretty much…." She trailed off at the look of alarm on Broderick's face.

"Someone was in your apartment?" She nodded.

He twisted in his seat, and Aya wondered vaguely if he thought maybe the culprit was sitting at the table behind him. She didn't notice the blonde man by the window get up and walk out of the café. Broderick turned around to face her again, his face back to its normal stoic expression.

"Have you any idea who would break into your apartment?" He asked and Aya thought his voice sounded a little strained.

"No." She said, watching him suspiciously. "Haven't gotta clue. When I left, two of my co workers were still searching through it, nobody's been able to find anything. Whoever did this was good, they didn't leave behind a trace, not counting the wreckage anyway."

Broderick looked a little disconcerted, only heightening Aya's suspicion.

"You know something don't you?" She asked and was received with another disconcerted look.

"We had suspicions that someone might try." He said slowly. "We didn't think that it would happen so soon."

"What do you mean, 'someone' might try? Who would try. Wait let me rephrase that. Who did try and succeeded in wrecking my apartment?" Aya said heatedly.

Broderick looked around the café before answering her.

"If you're going to raise your voice, then I don't think this is the place to talk." He gave her a furtive look, his brow furrowed.

Aya sighed. Deep down she knew she shouldn't bother getting mixed up with the FBI, and if it wasn't for her strong desire to leave Manhattan she wouldn't even be here. Broderick was still watching her from across the table, his face once again smooth and impassive.

"Alright." She said, and he actually smiled.

They both got up and walked out of the café and out into the cold night air. Aya made to hail a taxi at the streets edge but Broderick kept walking along the sidewalk.

"Aren't we taking a cab?" Aya asked.

"I don't ride in cabs." Broderick said bluntly and Aya almost smiled at his upfront manner, it reminded her of Daniel.

They had walked two blocks down the street from the café when Broderick suddenly turned into an alley. There was a black sedan with tinted windows so dark you couldn't see in even if you pressed your nose to the glass. He made for the driver's side door. Aya hesitated for a moment before getting in on the passenger side. She had just shut her door when…

"Bout time you got outta that café. I've been waiting for forever."

Aya's hand was halfway to her pistol in her shoulder holster when Broderick shook his head and turned around so he could see into the back seat. Aya twisted around to, to get a better look at the man in the back. She felt a moment of surprise when her gaze fell on the blonde, bespectacled man she had seen only twice before.

"I'm Pierce Carradine." He said holding his hand out for her to shake.


	5. Golems

_**Wow, I've not updated this fic in awhile and if you'd been reading it, I'm sorry that its taken me so long… so here's chapter 5! Enjoy. (Oh yeah I don't own Parasite Eve 1 or 2, it'd be freakin' awesome if I did though!)**_

Aya stared, bored, out of the tinted windows of the black sedan, not really seeing the trees that the car was passing along the side of the interstate. She couldn't help going over the events of the past couple days in her mind. Being asked to join the FBI, someone ransacking her apartment, her random decision to just up and leave Manhattan. She recalled the conversation she'd had with Daniel just before she'd left. He'd been livid after she'd turned in her papers detailing her resignation from the NYPD.

"_What do you mean 'you're leaving'?" He asked. They were standing inside her now empty apartment, and she was afraid he might start shouting._

"_I mean I'm leaving Daniel. I'm not sure where I'm going." She lied, not knowing why she wasn't going to tell him the truth. Because he worries too much, she thought to herself._

"_You know Baker was going to promote you?" Daniel asked and Aya knew he was casting around for something to make her stay. She sighed._

"_I know, he told me when I went to his office to resign. I think he was rather upset." She grimaced, feeling a strong urge to explain herself. "I just… It's just that I don't want to stay here anymore Daniel. It's not the same anymore." She looked up at him and saw that he was staring intently back. "None of it's the same anymore."_

_He watched her for awhile as she looked out of the window of her apartment, staring at the street full of cars below. Everything that had happened to the city; to her. It seemed everyone else had been able to move on…except for her._

"_I know I haven't known you for very long Aya." Daniel said bringing her out of her reverie. "But I never knew you to run from something." _

The words had stung but she knew they were true. Of course she hadn't told Daniel the truth that she was going to something that, in her mind, was decidedly more dangerous than anything in Manhattan at the moment. Maybe not the memories though.

She looked at the man seated next to her, driving the car. Rupert Broderick had almost laughed when she'd asked if they'd be taking a plane to L.A., which happened to be where MIST headquarters was to be situated. He'd stated that they needed to keep a low profile, apparently whoever had gone through her apartment was still following them. Aya was still suspicious of the fact that Broderick wasn't at all specific when it came to details about the person or persons responsible for bringing chaos to her neatly organized apartment, but she couldn't help trusting him.

Aya turned slightly to look at Pierce Carridine, who was currently asleep in the back seat of the car, his sunglasses askew as the side of his face was pressed against the far window, his mouth slightly open. It quickly reminded her of her lack asleep.

Aya hadn't slept in two days, having not forgotten the recent nightmare that had visited her the other night. She was so tired, wishing only to sleep as unconcernedly as Pierce at the moment but to be honest she was too afraid. Aya sighed, she hated long car trips, they always made her think of things that she would otherwise wish to leave forgotten in the back of her mind.

She returned to staring back out of the window, she did so just in time to see a big blue sign. "The State of Ohio Welcomes You".

"Ten hours from Manhattan to the Ohio border. We're making good time." Broderick said from the driver's seat.

Ten hours, Aya thought, more like twenty.

* * *

They drove for another five hours, deciding to stop just outside of Cincinnati for the night. Aya got a room to herself next door to the double bedded room that Broderick and

Carradine were sharing for the night.

She began to empty the small overnight bag she had brought into the hotel with her onto the bed. She placed her loaded nine-millimeter pistol on the bedside table next to the alarm clock. She ended up taking a long shower, letting the hot water relax her muscles which were stiff from the long trip in the car. After the shower she changed into some comfortable clothes and turned off the lights before slipping between the sheets of the lumpy motel mattress.

She lay there staring at the ceiling, watching the lights from the outside parking lot faintly dance across the ceiling as they shined weakly through the curtains. This caused the small room to be bathed in an eerie green light, and exhausted as she was, Aya found that she couldn't sleep.

She rolled over to face the side of the room with the window only to gasp. There was a silhouette of a man against the curtains. Slowly Aya reached up to grabbed her pistol, noiselessly slipping off the safety, as she did so there was a soft scratching along the outside of her door, but the shadow outside the window never moved.

_There's at least two of them._ She thought, preparing herself for fight. Catlike she rolled off the far side of the bed and crept towards the corner of the room in which the bathroom was situated, here she had a clear view of the doorway and the window where the first shadowy figure had yet to move.

There was a thump on the door and Aya aimed her gun at the door. Then with an almighty bang the door splintered and burst off its hinges. There in the doorway stood a man, or so Aya thought. He was dressed in military fatigues, his face was covered in a grotesque mask.

Aya was frozen for only a moment before she proceeded to empty her clip into the man who hadn't yet moved from the doorway. She didn't' have to ask to know he held ill intentions towards her. The gun clicked empty and she cursed at herself for having not brought an extra clip into the room with her. The man in the doorway looked as if the eighteen bullets she had just loaded into his chest hadn't even fazed him. He began to cackle insanely as something grabbed Aya around the neck from behind.

She didn't even have the time to scream 'What the Hell?' before the air was choked from her lungs. The invisible something lifted her off her feet as her vision started to blur. The air in front of her shimmered and a large soldier (it too was wearing a mask) appeared, along with its arm which was currently clamped tightly around her neck.

_This bastard isn't going to kill me,_ she thought as she focused her mitochondria and unleashed a blast of fire into the thing in front of her causing it to drop her and stagger backwards into the bed. As the thing recovered several shots from behind tore through its chest, blood splattering on the wall, and Aya looked over to see Rupert Broderick standing in the doorway holding a high powered magnum.

"There were two of them!" Aya gasped her voice a little raspy.

"He got away." Broderick answered, helping Aya to her feet. "Any idea who it was?" He asked her, turning to look at the bullet ridden and charred remains of the second attacker.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Where's Pierce by the way?" Aya asked having not seen the other man since they'd gotten to the hotel earlier. Broderick laughed.

"Outside and unconscious on the pavement. The other guy hit him around the head before running for it, and damn he was fast too." He answered sounding slightly amused. His face turned serious though. "We should probably leave now. It wouldn't be to safe to hang around here tonight."

He then checked outside the open door to make sure no one was outside before bending over to pull the mask of the attacker they had taken down. Instead of the human face both Broderick and Aya had been expecting, they found themselves staring at a mass of steel, wire, and cables.

"A robot?" Aya said hardly daring to believe it. As she said this Broderick flipped the mask over to see the inside and etched between the eyeholes in minuscule lettering was the word Golem.

"Golem?" Broderick said, staring intently at the mask. He looked up at Aya and they both shared a moment of true confusion. Twenty minutes after that found them all back in the sedan, Pierce still unconscious in the back seat, all the while Aya was still trying to contemplate what exactly it was that was following them.

More importantly though, what did they want?


	6. Reassurance

_**Yeah updates I know, few and far between, but I'm working my butt off here, so please no flames. Anywho, there's going to be a little change of POV for this chapter so don't get yourself too confused!**_

Hal Baldwin stared morosely at his desk, worry creasing his already slightly lined face. He couldn't help but think that something had gone wrong. It had been nearly four days since Agent Broderick's last call to the MIST headquarters, that he, Baldwin was now fully in charge of.

He let a small sigh and swung his gaze to the phone sitting neatly on the corner of his desk, hoping his focused attention on it would make it ring. No luck. With another sigh he began to shuffle through the array of papers that littered his desk. The vast majority of them were profiles of agents and other worthy candidates of MIST. He pulled them left and right placing them in an organized order across his desk.

Hal reached inside his file drawer to pull up more papers when one of the profiles on the desk caught his eye. He pulled it toward him and saw that it belonged to Aya Brea. This particular profile had been the center of his attention for the past several weeks and once again he found himself flipping through it.

Name: Aya Izumi Brea

Age: 25

Date of Birth: 06/03/1972

Place of Birth: Manhattan Community Hospital

Current Place of Residence: South End Apartments #35, New York City, New York

Occupation: NYPD Precinct 17 Detective

He continued leafing through the pages, there were detailed reports on her background and family history. Her mother, Mariko, and sister, Maya, had died in a car accident when Aya was five years old, she was the only survivor. When she was sixteen her father, David, died of a heart attack. She then lived with her grandmother (father's side) until she turned eighteen where upon she promptly moved out on her own.

_It gets more interesting._ Hal thought, turning to the last few pages of the file, the ones that covered the events of the last couple of months. He had just pulled out the page on Eve when the phone on his desk began to ring loudly. His hand shot over to the receiver before the second ring.

"Baldwin" He said into it.

"This Agent Broderick." Came the reply.

"Ah, Broderick its good to hear from you, I was beginning to worry."

"We've been running into trouble, I didn't want to contact you until we were within a safe distance of the agency."

"Where are you then?" Hal asked.

"Northern outskirts of LA, we should be their shortly."

"So what sort of trouble did you run into?" He asked cautiously.

"I'll explain everything when we get there, you know these lines aren't secured yet."

"Right." Hal answered. "I expect a full report when you get in."

"Yes sir."

Hal hung up and went back to organizing his papers, a relieved smile curving his lips.


	7. Los Angeles

_**Wow its been nearly six months since I updated this story! Holy crap, I'm so sorry its taken me forever to get around to it. I've been so busy with college and my music that I hardly noticed the time go by! So I hope you can all forgive me for having taken my sweet old time on this chapter!**_

Aya looked interestingly at the buildings of downtown Los Angeles as they drove by. _Not quite like Manhattan_, she thought with a small shrug of her shoulders. Broderick had just gotten off of his cell phone, turning to look at her.

"We should be there in a few minutes." He said and Aya could hear the relief in his voice and completely sympathized with him.

They hadn't had an easy time on their cross country trek. They'd run into those Golem things three other times after having left the hotel in Cincinnati where they had first been attacked. She was still at a loss for what those things truly were and was frightened by the fact that Broderick didn't seem to have any idea either. She turned to look out the window as Broderick pulled into a small underground garage beneath a dingy, old, brick building.

"This is it." He said, turning to shake Pierce who was asleep, again, in the back seat.

Aya got out of the car and stretched, frowning slightly as her back popped a couple times. Riding in a car for fourteen hours was bad enough, but doing that for several days was even worse. She sighed, moving to the trunk of the car to retrieve her things then stopped.

"Broderick?" She said turning to him. He turned around having just finished stretching himself. "What am I supposed to do with all my stuff?" He frowned.

"Well I guess we haven't thought that far ahead yet…" He looked away slightly embarrassed. Aya sighed again, before walking away from the car.

"I'll just leave it in there for now." As she said this the door along the far side of the spacious garage opened, emitting a rather large, robust man in a dark blue suit. He had dark gray hair with several lighter streaks in it. He reminded her of Captain Baker… sort of.

"Agent Broderick, good to see you again." he said this with a genuine grin on his face. "You too Carradine… what happened to your head?" He asked as his eyes alighted on the gauze that covered the wound he had received at the first hotel.

"Got into a fight." He muttered, unconsciously reaching up to feel the area around the gash.

"Hmmm, you mentioned that over the phone Broderick, any idea who it was yet?" Broderick shook his and Baker sighed, finally turning to look at Aya.

"You must be Miss. Brea." More a statement than a question. She nodded as he made his way across the garage and extended his hand. She shook it, noticing the firm grip. "I take it Agent Broderick explained what this agency is about?" She nodded again. "Good. Now lets get outta this garage and into my office, we have more to discuss."

He motioned for all of them to follow before turning and leading the way into the main part of the building.

………………………………...

Aya sat down on the rather comfortable couch, staring around at her new apartment. Only three buildings down the street from MIST headquarters, this particular place was much better than where she had lived in Manhattan. That had been one of many things they had discussed in Baker's office. The FBI provided housing for all the MIST agents within walking distance of the main office. _Expensive,_ she thought, _at the moment though I'm not going to complain._

It had taken her all but an hour to get herself settled in as she hadn't had much left to bring with her from New York to LA and the apartment had already been fully furnished. Pierce Carradine was also in the same building only on the first floor instead of the fifth.

She pulled her feet up and laid down on the couch, thoroughly exhausted after the flight of the past few days. Aya sighed as her eyes slowly drooped shut and finally closed, her breathing evening out into the slow rhythmic feel of a deep sleep. Ten minutes later she was jarred awake by a knock at the door. Grumbling slightly she rolled off the couch and made to look through the peep hole, it was Pierce Carradine.

"Hi." Aya said as she opened the door.

"Hey. Just wanted to check and see if you got settled in alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Didn't have much to unpack." She said with a dry laugh.

"Great." He said with a smile. Aya couldn't tell if it reached his eyes as he was still wearing those dark sunglasses. She supposed it did since he sounded genuinely kind.

"Why do you wear those things?" She asked, indicating his glasses.

"Wha- Oh these things… I don't know, its just my style." He said with a small smirk and Aya was reminded uncannily of Wayne. He turned to leave saying, "I'll see you tomorrow at 9."

"Yeah, bye." She said, closing the door and locking it.

Aya had almost forgotten she had to be back at headquarters by 9 the following morning. Something about orientation. She sighed making her way back to the comfy couch trying to imagine what to expect then giving up as this required too much thought in her tired frame of mind.


End file.
